Shakila Barabhuiya

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A schoolgirl from Portsmouth took centre stage at Womad festival this summer after winning a competition to talk about environmental issues.

Megan Hanson, a pupil at Lord Admiral Nelson School, was one of four students from across the country to be named Young Green Briton of the Year in a competition run by green energy company Ecotricity.

Pupils aged 11-16 were encouraged to send in their ideas about how to achieve a green Britain under the four themes of energy, transport, food and nature.

The four winning candidates were selected by a panel of judges after submitting a video, written piece or recording, outlining how Britain could be greener by changing attitudes and inspiring others to adopt sustainable ideas.

Chaired by Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow, the Young Green Britons were then mentored by experts across the four fields of debate to help them deliver their ideas.

Megan won the energy category and spoke passionately in the debate about green energy and the need to use sustainable sources.

Womad festival

She was mentored by Dale Vince, the owner of green energy company, Ecotricity, who provide electricity by solar and wind farms

The 15-year-old said: ‘The prize was great as my family and I got the chance to go to the Womad festival and hear music from all over the world.

‘I was excited as I believe we should look after this earth, its the only one we’ve got!

‘It was nerve-racking as I had to speak on stage about these issues and answer questions from an audience of hundreds of people.

‘Some of the questions were really hard as I had no idea what anyone was going to ask me. I spoke a little about how green issues should be part of everyday life, especially for children who can just explore the world around them.

‘Green energy isn’t just good for the environment, it’s good for the economy too because we can be self sufficient.

‘I’d much rather have a wind farm near my house in Portsmouth than have an oil refinery or fracking.’